What forces are acting on a floating object?
What do YOU think?
There are no
forces acting on
it, nothing is
moving.
Gravity is pulling
it downwards.
Otherwise it
would fly away.
The water is
pushing it up
somehow.
Gravity can’t be
the force
because it is
going up, not
down.
Why does water get deeper when you put
things in it?
What do YOU think?
When you get in
the bath, the
water goes up
because it gets
bigger.
It doesn’t get
deeper, you just
think it does
because you are
sitting down.
It goes up
because your
body pushes it
out of the way.
A bigger object
will make the
water get
deeper than a
smaller object.
Why does the wooden block float in the water?
What do YOU think?
It is floating
because of the
material it is
made of – all
wood floats.
It’s because it
has air inside it
somewhere,
which is trying
to pull it up.
It floats because
it is lighter than
the water.
The water is
pushing the
block up.